political will is not available to implement what they are actually doing? I think that, that is what is missing in this country.
There is no area that is created in this country without identifiable places for either schools, toilets or places of convenience. Even a place where you can build schools, but the question is, when they come to lay out the plan of an area, all these things are provided. But within two or three months, either traditional authorities or those in town and country planning would find their way to sell the lands that are meant for certain other facilities.
Do we not have rules or regulations or laws that we must enforce to ensure that whatever the planners do, we follow it to the letter. I think that is hugely missing in this country. So, it is not a fact that our planners are not doing the right thing but the political will to respect what the planners provide for us and I think that we need to look at that.
Another major challenge has to do with our ability to enforce the laws. I believe that in this country, there are laws regulating every aspect of our lives. The question is, why is it that we have not been able to implement those laws? I think that we need to take a second look at enforcing the laws that we have, then certainly, we would regulate the way we put up our structures. I believe that if we do so, we may reduce this challenge that we experience, that is virtually becoming a perennial, that, day in day out, we have these fire outbreaks occurring. When they do occur, a lot of properties are lost, some even lose their lives as a result.
I think I would want to associate myself with the Statement that was made by my Brother Hon Titus-Glover, when he said
that those who work at the fire services, most of them are not even insured, they do the insurance on their own. I think property owners, people who have stores, there is the need for some education to be done, that, if you have money and you have a store, you have a responsibility of insuring the store, such that when they do occur, as we experience day in day out, at least, you would have a cover. I think that some education also needs to be done.
Mr Speaker, I would want to conclude on the basis of even bushfires. My Brother made a point and said that, particularly those from the North; I think that is true because of probably, the nature of the environment, particularly when we are in the harmattan season. It is extremely difficult when we have fire outbreaks during the harmattan season to extinguish the fire because of the winds.
I think that we need to look at ways by which we can ensure that we would experience it anyway, but as and when we experience them, measures are put in place, so that we would not be affected as we have been affected day in day out.
Many of our farmers in this country engage in subsistence farming. Someone struggles to get about two acres of land, possibly plants his maize or rice and then there is fire outbreak. Since we do not have fire hydrants, the Ghana National Fire Service people would come with even their vehicles, sometimes we hear that there is no water or when they come and the water is finished, it would take them about three or four kilometres to get water.
I think measures must be put in place to ensure that at least, we provide fire hydrants in every corner and every part of the country.
